Daily Republican., 1887-07-19
Pneu1satlc Railroads

A Col j. Il. Pierce, OF SAlthlngton,
Conne,,icut, has conceived tho projsct
OF travelling to Earope By oars
through huge pneumatic tubes laid
across the Atlantic. His ideA includes
two tubes with currents OF air moving
In opposite dirsc lions. Tho speed Of
the car Is 10 be governsd by the rapid.
~ with which atf cAp be forced
through. Time will be required TO e.
tAblish current Of air H,wing with
great swifsness through . tube perhaps
thousands Of miles in length, but
when once created the motion will be
nearly uniform and the speed Of the
current 10 10 be made - great ~ de-
sired by using the steam driver fans
employed In blast furnaces.
The Hartford, Conn Coursnt, re.
ferriug to the scheme, which now
seems like Wild dream, sayt:
Niagara Falls oould drive blast fans
and furnish motive power to keep In
motion the trains to conpect this CONT.
nent with the old wcrld. The ten
perature within the tube msy be regu
lated by passing blasts Of air entering
the tubs through furnaces or over ica
The speed attainable may reach 1000
miles an hour. The tubs linipg and
car exterior would be Of polished steel
with corrugated sides mstchiuR with
wheels provided with anti fr,otion bear
ings. The speed. owing to the curva
ture OF the ea,tn's surface, will tend to
overcome al weight and the pressure
will be upon the upper part of the tube;
thus there is scarcely any limit TO the
speed attainsble. The inventions con
sist In the details Of the work.
OF course All this looks liks an im.
practicable and foolish Imagination OF
the mind .. the presen. time, and w
are very ap. to dismiss snoh . prcj sci
from our minds with the remark
"Auo.her crank, poor fellow" We dc
not Know whether there will ever be q
pneuma:ic railroad across the Allan .ic
or not. but suppose we were to believe
~, would II be more OF an impossi.
bility or triumph Of genius than the
invention and application OF steam Is q
motive power, or the controlling Of the
electrical current and the attach men,
OF 1t to machinery to propel L., and the
lighting OF ou. cities by IL? Had Bsn
jamtn franklin given ou. when he was
experimenting with the lightning O.
the clouds by means OF his key and
kite, that this same lightning would be
used for lighting cities, running en-
gines aud propelling all kinds OF ma
chinery, he would have been voted q
crazy crank, AMI we're he to be permit
led to arise from his dusty oea now and
20 see the Inc mp-ovemens In electricity
rs applied 70 .ts various purposes com
pared with his little experiment with
his ki:e, he would think he was In
new world. M. Pierce's project o.
travelling 10 z 1-ope in cars by pneu
marlo railroad looks sbou. as fsAsibl,
to u, 3. thts time as the RAINING o
railroad trains and the lighting o
large cities by electricity did TO Frank
lin when he discovered by his simpl,
sxper men. OF sending u kite durinj
storm tbst electricity could b,
brought. TO esrth Under the control O
nan.
1. 10 not liKely, however, that thi
pneumatic tube railway through tn,
Atlantic 70 Europe will be constructed
for some years yet, perhaps century
perhaps never. At any rate Mr.
Pierce will hardly experiment Will
the Atlantic Until be has proved tht
feasibility OF his plan by crossing nsr
rover s:reAms o! water first.